Jewelry Waste
The simplest and Cleanest kinds of precious metal are old jewelry/jewelry waste,the metal parts of old dentures,and the clean scrap metal that id produced in the manufature of jewelry or dentures.The refining of this material is easy because there is little or no dirt to be removed,and the job is profitable for the same reason.
Old jewelry may be made of Sterling silver,or of base metal plated with silver,or of karat gold in which pure gold is alloyed with more or less of other metals; or of base metal plated with gold; or of platinum, which also is alloyed with other metals.Dental restorations such as bridge work, plates,fillings...etc, are often made of high quality gold, sometimes of platinum, sometimes of alloys in which gold,platinum, silver,copper and other metals are combined;sometimes of metals as inexpensive as stainless steel.
Non-metallic substances are often found in conjuction with these precious materials:the crystal of the watch-case;the porcelain tooth in the denture;the sapphire in the ring.
In the jewelry factory and the dental laboratory we find metal bearing wastes generated in the process of manufacture, and it is with these that we shall concern ourselves most,partly because they are stuff on which the refiner spends most of his time,and partly because the process involved are more complex.
These wastes are sometimes of quite intrinsic value,as in the case of the sprues chipped from castings,or the little shavings produced by the engraver's tools,or the clippings that fall on the jeweler's bench.The neater the workman, the higher the value per ounce;that is,the less trash,the fewer match ends,bit of paper,cigarette ashes,etc....that have to be removed.
Old jewelry may be made of Sterling silver,or of base metal plated with silver,or of karat gold in which pure gold is alloyed with more or less of other metals; or of base metal plated with gold; or of platinum, which also is alloyed with other metals.Dental restorations such as bridge work, plates,fillings...etc, are often made of high quality gold, sometimes of platinum, sometimes of alloys in which gold,platinum, silver,copper and other metals are combined;sometimes of metals as inexpensive as stainless steel.
Non-metallic substances are often found in conjuction with these precious materials:the crystal of the watch-case;the porcelain tooth in the denture;the sapphire in the ring.
In the jewelry factory and the dental laboratory we find metal bearing wastes generated in the process of manufacture, and it is with these that we shall concern ourselves most,partly because they are stuff on which the refiner spends most of his time,and partly because the process involved are more complex.
These wastes are sometimes of quite intrinsic value,as in the case of the sprues chipped from castings,or the little shavings produced by the engraver's tools,or the clippings that fall on the jeweler's bench.The neater the workman, the higher the value per ounce;that is,the less trash,the fewer match ends,bit of paper,cigarette ashes,etc....that have to be removed.Labels: METAL Refining
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